


Trial, The

by ladymidath



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Angst, BDSM, Fiction, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-06-14
Updated: 2002-06-14
Packaged: 2018-11-20 10:06:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11333589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladymidath/pseuds/ladymidath
Summary: Skinner and Mulder put Krycek on trial for his past crimes





	Trial, The

**Author's Note:**

> Note from alice ttlg, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Basement](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Basement), which moved to the AO3 to ensure the stories are always available and so that authors may have complete control of their own works. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in June 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [The Basement's collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thebasement/profile).

The Trial

## The Trial

#### by Lady Midath

Lady Midath's Fan FictionDisclaimer:I do not own any of these characters they are owned by Chris Carter  
and Ten Thirteen Productions.  
No money is being made and I do promise to take care of all the wonderful X Files characters, hell I'll even take them out for ice cream. X Files Fan Fiction M/Sk/K rated NC17 for BDSM mostly implied, angst, language and non  
consensual sex, and not to mention some humour, albeit black humour that is 

Summary:Walter and Fox decides to give a certain rat a fair trial. Please note that Skinner and Mulder are already in a loving BDSM relationship and Skinner is the dominant. 

Just a quick note, this was not as easy story to write, it actually started off asjust a silly pwp, more a snippet than anything else. But as they say, the tale grew in the telling and it became a lot more serious in tone and a lot longer as well. If enough people like this story I might turn it into a series, so please let me know  
what you think of it good or bad :-) 

The Trial 

One  
The lithe figure moved up the stairs towards the penthouse as silently as a shadow. 

He paused for a moment, listening, green eyes flashing in the dark. 

Spender had told him that both Skinner and Mulder would be out for most of the evening and would not be back until late, plenty of time to search the apartment for a certain computer disc that Spender urgently needed back. 

Carefully he let himself into the apartment, using his lockpicks on the front door. He had already disabled the alarm, and the security camera. 

He slipped into the darkened apartment, moving around the dark shapes that he took to be furniture scattered around the spacious room. 

He glanced at his watch, making out the numbers in the dim light coming from a window nearby. It was almost ten. He had a couple of hours at least. 

Quickly he shone a small handheld torch around the living room, finally lighting on a large walnut desk over near the far wall. 

Bingo. That had to be where the disc was. 

He hurried over to the desk and quickly started rifling through the papers and files on the top. 

Nothing, the disc had to be in one of the drawers. 

The first two drawers were filled with junk, staplers, rubber bands, junk. 

He gritted his teeth in frustration. It had to be here somewhere. 

The third drawer down was locked, well that was a good start. Moving swiftly now, he jimmied the drawer open, cursing under his breath when he saw it was empty. 

Who in hell locked an empty drawer for christsakes? 

Frustrated now, he checked the remaining drawers, nothing...no disc. 

Okay, then there had to be a safe or something around here. 

Shining the torch around, he searched the living room. There was nothing, just chairs and tables, a couch, a couple of nice looking paintings. Stuff that could be found in any ordinary apartment or house. 

Shit. Well, time to search the bed room. 

He moved into what looked like the master bed room, it was large and well furnished with a big four poster bed dominating the room. 

A quick search turned up nothing. Cursing silently under his breath, he left the room and continued to prowl around the rest of the neat well furnished apartment until finally coming to a small room that seemed to be set slightly apart from the rest of the apartment. 

"Hmm, what's this." He muttered to himself. "Must be a study or something, well this is where it should be." 

The door was locked but that was absolutely no problem for an operative with a set of lockpicks. 

Two minutes later and he was in the large room, looking around. 

He shone his torch around, the light picking out various objects hanging on the walls and off the ceiling. 

"What the..." He stared in shock as he made out the various things in the dim light. 

Was that a whip? And that looked like a paddle. 

Fascinated now, he walked around, the torch picking out still even more. 

Sitting in the middle of the room there was what looked to his untrained eye suspiciously like a spanking bench. He had seen a picture of one once a while ago in some magazine or another. 

It looked like it had been well used. 

Near the wall was a large frame, and a couple of feet away...a long sturdy looking post with manacles hanging off it, dangling on long thick chains. 

He did not know whether to laugh or run from the room, actually he wanted to do both, he realized what all this was now. Jesus, what was this place? Then he realized what all this stuff was, it was all bondage gear. 

So old Skinner was into the rough stuff huh? Well who would have thought it. 

His lips quirked up in grim amusement, this might be something that Spender would be interested in. 

Somehow it was nice to know that the old Skinhead was not the ordinary everyday Mr Nine-to five after all. Who would have thought that under all those starched shirts and sober dark suits there beat the heart of a leather boy. 

Curious now, he walked over to the large metal frame, shining his torch along the thick metal bar that ran along the top. He had never seen anything like this before. 

In the top corner was an open metal cuff, putting the torch in his fake hand, he reached up to touch the it, poking at it, he went to draw his arm back, the back of his hand brushing it. Suddenly the cuff snapped closed around his wrist. 

"Shit!" He struggled desperately, caught in the cuff. He twisted and pulled but to no avail. He was stuck tight. All he could do was wait until someone found him, and hopefully let him out of this fucking thing. Two  
"Well don't tell me you didn't have a good time tonight." Walter was saying as both he and Fox entered the apartment. 

Fox laughed, his hazel eyes shining. "Oh it was all right." He replied teasingly. 

"Except for all that singing of course." 

Walter rolled his eyes. "Yes." He replied drily. "You do tend to get a lot of that, especially at the opera." 

"Ah is that where we were tonight?" Fox yelped as a playful swat landed on his rump. Then Walter switched the lights on. 

"Come on baby, I'll make us some coffee and then it's bed. I have an early meeting tomorrow with Kersh." 

"Walter look." Fox pointed towards the desk. A couple of the drawers were open, and they had obviously been tampered with. 

"Shit." Walter said. "See if there's anything missing from the bedroom will you Fox." 

The younger man hurried over to the bed room, quickly checking through the drawers, checking to see if anything had been taken. 

"Everything seems to be here." Fox called as he checked through the various watches and expensive cufflinks that they stored in the top dresser drawer. 

Walter nodded, his mouth set in a thin line. Some son of a bitch had broken into their home, and by the look of it, it was a professional. 

Walter checked the rest of the apartment nothing was taken. The laptop computer and brand new DVD was still there, so where the Cartier watch and 24 carat cufflinks that he had given to Fox for his last birthday. 

This had not been an ordinary burglary no burglar would leave any of this behind. 

Walter looked around the living room, his face set in grim lines, there was only one thing that he had that was more valuable than laptops and gold cufflinks. 

"There's one room we haven't checked yet." Fox said suddenly. Walter glanced at him, then nodded. 

"The playroom." He said. Fox watched him, all good humour had fled from his face now. 

"Come on, let's check it out." 

They both mounted the short flight of stairs that led up to the playroom. The room had been soundproofed so neither of them could hear anything at all. 

Walter grasped the handle of the door, it turned easily. He looked at Fox, this room was always kept locked. 

Taking great care, they both entered the room, Walter reached out and switched the light on. 

Alex blinked in the bright glare that flooded the room. He was still dangling helplessly from the frame. 

Both Walter and Fox stared at the sight of the Consortium assassin hanging from the frame, then Walter's face split into a huge grin. 

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" He said as he walked over to where Alex was hanging. 

Alex twisted around, sweat beading his face despite the coolness of room. 

"Skinner, get me out of this." 

Walter's grin widened. "Got yourself into a bit of bother Alex?" He said cheerfully. "A rat caught in a trap, how appropriate." 

He turned to Fox, who who was barely suppressing his mirth. 

"Well what do you think Fox? Should we release him?" 

Fox shrugged. "Why don't we just leave him there." 

Alex looked aghast at the idea. "What, you can't just leave me here." 

"Why are you here Alex?" Walter asked suddenly. "What is it you were looking for?" 

"Nothing." Alex snapped. Walter shook his head. 

"Don't lie to me Alex, I know you were looking for something." 

Alex pressed his lips together, his green eyes flashing with fury. "Get me down from here." He demanded. 

"Why were you fooling around with the frame in the first place Alex?" Fox asked, still trying to keep a straight face. 

Alex's face coloured. "I was curious." He replied sullenly. "I didn't know what it was." 

"It's a restraining frame." Walter replied with a grin. "There's not many of them around, I had this one specially made. The cuffs are designed to snap shut on contact." 

"Great, that's just terrific." Alex snapped, losing all patience now. "Thanks for letting me know. Now can you please just get me the the hell out of this." 

"Sure, not a problem." Walter left the room for a moment, Fox and Alex watching him go, Alex still twisting from the cuff. His arm was beginning to ache miserably now. 

After a few minutes, Walter returned, gun and handcuffs in hand. 

"Help him down Fox." He ordered. The younger man moved to comply. 

He pressed the button on the side of the cuff, it opened and Alex dragged his hand out from it immediately. 

"Finally." He snapped. He went to push past Fox, when he noticed that Walter had a gun trained on him, he stepped back, holding his hand up. 

"Okay, okay, take it easy with that thing." He said, trying to keep his voice light. 

"You aren't going anywhere you son of a bitch." Walter snapped. He tossed the handcuffs over to Fox. 

"Put those on him." 

Fox snapped the cuffs onto Alex's good wrist, then he grabbed the prosthetic arm and placed the cuffs around that as well. 

Alex glared at him, eyes sparking as he watched the young FBI agent. 

"So what are you planning to do now?" He asked mockingly, but Walter could hear the undertone of fear in the assassin's voice. 

Walter smiled at Alex, his usually mild brown eyes had gone hard and flinty. 

"I think we might keep you here for awhile." He replied coolly. "After all, it seems that you just can't seem to stay away, can you." 

Alex stared at him for a moment, noting that the gun was still leveled at his chest. 

He stiffened. "You can't just keep me here Skinner." He replied, trying to ignore the trickle of real fear that seemed to creep down his spine. 

Walter smiled at him almost kindly. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I can." 

"Listen here you goddammed pencil pusher..." Alex snarled as he leapt forward then stopped, remembering the gun that Walter still had in his hand. 

"Come on Alex." Walter waved him towards the door. Reluctantly the assassin moved towards the door, hands cuffed in front of him. 

Walter walked behind him, watching for any sudden moves that Alex might make. 

The three of them walked into the living room. Walter pointed towards the couch. 

"Sit." 

Alex sat down, watching Walter closely, or rather the gun in Walter's hand. 

"Well Alex, do you want to tell us exactly what it was you were after?" 

The younger man shrugged. "I was sent here to look for a disc that you have. It belongs to the Smoking Man, he wants it back." 

"So he sent you to turn our apartment over to find it?" Walter replied coldly. 

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, he did." Alex looked up at the older man insolently. 

"What made you think that you would find what you were looking for in the playroom?" Fox asked. 

Alex glanced at him. "Is that what you call it? I was searching the whole apartment, I found that room, I thought it might have been a study or something." 

"Well as you can see, it's not." Walter replied with a smile. 

"I always suspected that you two had a thing going for each other." Alex replied calmly. "But I never took you for a couple of sickos. I mean, paddles and whips, god, what is your damage?" 

Colour slammed into Fox's face, he got to his feet, fists clenched at his side. 

"Who the hell are you calling sickos you murderous little rat bastard?" He snarled. 

Alex grinned up at Fox infuriatingly. "From what I saw in that...playroom of yours..." 

"Knock it off, the pair of you." Walter's voice cut across the both of them. 

Both the younger man subsided, Walter nodded satisfied that he had everything under control once more. 

"Fox, sit over there...and not another word, understand. And as for you Alex, right now you are not in any position to be mouthing off so keep your mouth shut, or else...got it?" 

Alex leaned back against the couch, giving Walter his best assassin's glare, but it was not going to work on the Assistant Director. 

Walter crossed over to where the younger man was sitting, and leaning down, he grabbed Alex by the front of his shirt and lifted him up off the couch, giving him a hard shake. 

"Listen to me you little rat, consider yourself to be dammed lucky to be alive. I could put a bullet through you right now and dump your corpse in the Potomac and no one would be any the wiser. Now sit there like a good little boy and you might just actually succeed in surviving long enough to see the morning." With that, Walter gave him another hard shake, then threw him back down onto the couch. 

Alex's hair flopped over his eyes, he tossed his head, flipping his hair back again, his green eyes fixed on Walter. 

"Wow, Walter, who would have thought you had it in you." He sneered. "And here I was thinking that you were just another bureaucrat, a wage slave, but boy was I wrong." 

Walter regarded the Consortium operative with something almost approaching curiosity. 

Fox was watching his Dom cautiously, he wondered if Alex knew how thin the ice underneath him was now. 

"You know what your trouble is Alex?" Walter said, his voice deceptively soft. 

Alex sneered at him. "And what would that be Walterrr?" He asked, deliberately drawing the AD's name out mockingly. 

"You have no respect for anyone or anything." Walter replied. "Not even yourself." 

Alex's eyes narrowed. "Is that right." He replied, his voice had turned to ice. "Well at least I am not using one of my subordinates as a fucktoy. Although." He added thoughtfully. "Mulder would make a cute little fucktoy, hey can I borrow him when you're done?" 

Fox held his breath, he had never seen anyone sign his own death warrant before and he found the whole process absolutely fascinating. 

Walter smiled, it was a sweet smile, kindly and warm... and it sent a chill down Fox's spine. He recognized that smile, he had seen it a couple of time before just before the large, well muscled man had completely lost his temper. 

And when Walter Sergi Skinner Assistant Director of the FBI lost his temper, that was when it was time to get the hell out of the way. 

Only, Alex did not know that. 

"You know Alex, I have just about had enough of you tonight." Walter said, speaking in the soft tones that Fox knew so well, the sign that Vesuvius was just about to erupt. 

"Fox and I go out for a pleasant evening at the opera, and what happens, we come home to find that someone, namely a sneaky little rat bastard had gone through our apartment and then to top the whole evening off, we find the same rat bastard in our private playroom dangling from a piece of our equipment." 

Walter moved closer, deliberately looming over the smaller man, using his size to intimidate. 

Alex seemed to realize how close he was to the edge of the precipice now. He sat watching the AD silently, his eyes warily following every move the bigger man made. 

"Now we have a problem that has presented itself here tonight." Walter continued thoughtfully. "And that is...what to do with the very same rat bastard that we have here." 

All trace of Alex's bravado had now fled, he sat silently on the couch, painfully aware of how vulnerable he was. 

He still had his gun and flick knife, not to mention the set of brass knuckles that he always carried, but they were all hidden in his jacket pockets and while he was handcuffed, they were completely out of reach. 

Fox sat back in the large easychair, enjoying the little drama that was unfolding before him. It was nice to see that sneer finally wiped off Alex Krycek's mouth for a change. 

"Well I have a solution for tonight at least anyway." Walter said. He looked over at Fox. "We will keep him in the play room tonight, then tomorrow we can decide what to do with him once and for all." 

"Okay." Fox replied mildly, although secretly he was not happy about his most hated enemy being in one of his favourite room, even if it was only for one night. 

Alex stared at Walter, then Fox, stunned. "You...you aren't seriously going to put me back in there...are you?" 

"We sure are." Walter replied cheerfully. "And look at it this way Alex, you will be able to satisfy any curiosity that you may still have about our little playroom. After all, I know that rats are very curious creatures, that's why they are always turning up in places where they don't belong." 

Alex gritted his teeth, helpless rage bubbling inside him like a seething cauldron. 

He allowed himself to be hauled to his feet and dragged back to that dammed room. 

Once inside, the cuffs were removed and Walter ordered him to strip, Alex obeyed, after all, Skinner still had that dammed gun. 

Once down to his boxer, he stood shivering in the coolness of the room. 

Fox quickly went through his clothes, finding Alex's tools of his trade. The gun, flickknife and brass knuckles were quickly gathered up and carried out of the room. 

Alex watched Fox take them mournfully, now he was truly up shit creek and no paddle in sight. 

"Over against the wall." Walter told him, his tone brooking no argument. Reluctantly Alex moved, painfully aware of his semi naked state. 

"Sit down with your back against the wall." 

Alex sat, his boxer clad butt making contact with the cold parquet floor. 

Walter turned to Fox, who had just come back into the room. 

"Hold this while I secure him." He handed the younger man the gun and then went over to where the assassin was sitting. 

"If you try anything Alex, Fox will shoot you, is that clear?" 

The younger man nodded, it was very clear all right. 

Walter took the leather manacle and placed it around Alex's wrist, making sure that it was secured tight. He then adjusted the chain that the manacle was attached to, adjusting the length so the Alex would be reasonably comfortable, but unable to move from the wall. 

That done, Walter then placed identical cuffs around both of his ankles, looping the short length of chain between them and attaching the end of the chain to a metal ring that was bolted to the floor. 

Walter straightened up satisfied, this was one rat that was going nowhere tonight at least. 

Alex glared up at the older man sullenly, Walter could see real fear in his eyes now. 

"You can't leave me here Skinner." He said. "I'm going to freeze to death." 

Walter's lips quirked up. "Well isn't that funny Alex, talk about deja vu." 

"Yeah, yeah, I know, think warm thoughts." Alex muttered miserably, well at least he was inside this time, and not out on Walter's dammed balcony, talk about small mercies. 

"Try and get some rest Alex, you are going to need it." With that, Walter and Fox left the room, locking the door behind them. 

Alex shivered again and laid his head against the wall, closing his eyes and wondering what the fuck he was going to do now. Three  
"So have you decided what you are going to do with him?" Fox asked. 

They were both sitting down at the breakfast table, Fox was stirring some cream and sugar into his coffee. 

Walter smiled over at his lovely young sub, he could see that Fox was worried now, he wanted to allay his fears. 

"I thought about it last night." He replied as he laid his paper he had been reading to one side. 

"The trouble is Fox, if I let him go, he'll only come back again, you see I know what it is he's looking for." 

"The disc." Fox replied. He knew that Walter still had the disc that was filled with incriminating evidence. Evidence about the experiments that the Consortium had been conducting on innocent people. Facts and figures about the alien colonization plans. 

Information that The Smoking Man would cheerfully kill to get back. 

Walter's lips curved up in a grim smile. "He must have thought I had it here, ha as if I would be that stupid." He lifted his coffee cup to his lips. 

"So what are you going to do with Krycek then?" 

Walter sighed. "To be completely honest, I don't know if we have many choices here." 

"We could always kill him." Fox looked hopeful. 

Walter looked at him sternly for a moment. "No Fox, I am not going to kill him, not in cold blood." 

Walter nearly laughed at the disappointed look on his lover's face. "Fox." He said trying to sound stern and failing miserably. 

"Well what else can we do?" Fox replied. "We can't just keep him locked up in the playroom indefinitely after all. Besides I was hoping we might spend some time in there this afternoon." 

Walter did laugh at that. "Don't worry Fox, I promise we will have the playroom back to ourselves again. But there is still the problem of the rat. And no, we are not going to kill him." 

"Darn." Fox whispered under his breath. Then he looked up at the older man, curious now. 

"So what are you going to do with him Walter?" 

"I been thinking about this Fox." Walter replied. "Long and hard...we can't let him go, it's no good handing him over to the police, his boss will only have him freed and out onto the street again. No, I think we are going to have to keep him here." 

"But for how long?" Fox looked horrified at the idea. 

"I can't say Fox." Walter replied. "But there's something about Alex Krycek, something..."He trailed off. 

Fox frowned. "What are you talking about Walter?" 

"Remember when Alex first came to the FBI?" Walter said suddenly. Fox nodded, he did, vividly. 

"Do you remember how young and fresh he seemed." Walter continued, looking past Fox, his eyes focussed at some not so distant memory. 

"I recall thinking that he looked like a bit of a geek." Fox replied with a snort. 

Walter's eyes snapped straight onto his young. "You were not very kind to him as I recall." He replied sharply. "As I recall, I remember how you tried to ditch him on several occasions, all resulting in me having to blister your butt." 

"That I do remember." Fox replied. The first time he had ditched his young and somewhat green partner, Walter had paddled him thoroughly. The second time, Walter had taken Fox into the playroom and had spanked him with the tri-tailed tawse that had left the young agent's behind stinging for the next three days. That was not something that one tended to forget. 

"Where is this all leading Walter?" Fox asked. The older man looked at him, his eyes thoughtful. 

"You know, with all the terrible things that Alex has done, there's still something about him, something... I don't know, innocent, something deep inside him that hasn't been touched yet." 

Fox frowned. "What are you saying? That Alex Krycek can be saved?" 

"Yes." Walter replied. "I know you find it hard to believe Fox, but yes, I do believe that there is still something there, inside him. I don't think it's to late." 

Fox stared at his beloved Dom in disbelief. "But after everything that he's done, my father... Scully's sister, the nanocytes." 

"I know." Walter replied heavily. "But Fox, he killed your father because he was ordered to by Spender. He did not kill Scully's sister, that was Cardinale, and as for the nanocytes..." 

"Well?" Fox was waiting. 

Walter looked up at him, his face troubled. "Alex paid me a visit a couple of weeks ago, in my office." He said slowly. "He was asking me about the disc then. He decided to put a little pressure on me and he took that dammed palm pilot out of his pocket and went to press the button..." 

"And?" Fox asked. Walter shrugged. 

"He didn't do it." He replied simply. "I mean, there I was, completely at his mercy and he didn't press that button." 

"Aren't you forgetting about all the times he did press the button?" Fox asked, his voice dry. 

Walter smiled. "No, I am not, I once died on an operating table in case you had forgotten young man. But no, this time he didn't do it...and I saw something in his eyes...something, I can't quite explain it..." Walter trailed off. 

"What are you saying here exactly?" Fox asked. "Are you telling me that Alex Krycek triple agent and all around son of a bitch can be redeemed?" 

"I think he can...yes" 

"I don't believe this." Fox snapped, he could not believe his ears. Walter...his Walter actually thought that Alex Krycek could actually be turned into a decent human being? Yeah and when were the pigs going to start flying. 

"Fox..." Walter began. 

"I can't believe that you would even want to consider trying to redeem that murdering bastard." Fox continued, his face red with real anger now. 

"Fox..."Walter said, a little louder now. 

"And to think that you want to keep him here, in our home..." 

"Fox!" 

Fox stopped dead, then nervously, he looked over at his Dom, swallowing hard. 

"I think that he can be redeemed, yes, and I would like to try." Walter continued calmly. "But if you are really set against it, then I won't but the fact remains that I don't want to set him loose to continue to make our lives hell, and killing him is out of the question, so what do you suggest we do?" 

Fox sat back in his chair. He thought for a moment, running over everything that Walter had said. The trouble was, everything that he had said was true, well perhaps not the part where he felt that Alex was redeemable, that Fox would never believe that was possible, once a rat, always a rat. But the other part, the part where Walter had pointed out how he could not let Alex go, but could not kill him...well that Fox was forced to agree with. 

So Walter was right, the problem remained, what to do with a certain triple agent that was right now chained to a wall in the playroom. Their playroom. 

Fox sighed. "So do you think you can do something with him Walter?" 

"I would at least like to try." Walter replied quietly. "Fox, remember the first time you came to me, you were just about to be booted out of the FBI, Kersh was after your blood, and the boys upstairs were just about to give you a permanent vacation...do you remember?" 

"Ha, how could I forget?" 

"You came to me, desperate, frightened, you did not want to leave the X Files, but you knew that you were on a self destructive course that you could not pull yourself out of, Especially after Scully informed you that she and John Doggett were setting up house together." 

"Yeah, that was pretty bad time." Fox muttered looking down at the table. 

"And I offered to help reign you in Fox." Walter said softly. "I offered to help you curb your more outrageous behaviour Fox, I also offered to help try and fill that empty void in your life, and I did it Fox because I thought you were worth it, because there was something deep down inside of you, something beautiful." 

"And you can see that same quality in Alex, is that what you are saying?" Fox replied. 

Walter nodded. "Yes, I can." 

Fox dew a deep breath, then nodded. "All right then Walter. If you can find anything in Alex that can be saved, then you should be able to try at least." 

Walter smiled at his sweet young love sitting across from him at the table. 

"Thank you Fox." 

Fox nodded, but Walter could see that the young man had his doubts. 

"So how do you plan on doing this?" Fox asked as he picked his now cold cup of coffee up. 

"The same way I did with you my darling." Walter replied with a grin. Fox laughed. 

"Why do I have a feeling that Alex's butt's suddenly going to be getting one hell of a workout in the next few days." 

Walter leaned forward to kiss his mouth lovingly. "Because as I recall, yours did, and still does from time to time." 

Fox chuckled. "Well you had better go and check on him now, let him know what he's in for at least." 

Another kiss, and Walter got up from the table and walked over to the where the playroom was, mounting the short flight of steps, he unlocked the door and let himself in. 

Alex was awake and sitting with his back to the wall, blinking owlishly in the sudden light. 

"About time you showed up, I have to use the john." He complained. 

"Good morning to you too Alex." Walter replied cheerfully. He unlocked the chains that held the assassin and helped him to his feet. 

"This way, oh and don't try to run Alex because I will drop you before you can get to the door." 

"Yeah, like I can go anywhere without my clothes." Alex muttered under his breath. 

Walter chuckled. "Yeah, I don't want to have to arrest you for indecent exposure do I Alex." 

He waited while the younger man relieved himself, then after washing his hand, he emerged from the bathroom. 

"Hungry" Walter asked. Alex stared at him for a moment, pride warring with hunger, than hunger won the day. 

"Yeah, I'm starving." Alex muttered. 

"Come on, I'll get you some breakfast." Walter told him. He led the young man into the surprisingly large airy kitchen. 

"Some clothes would be nice as well." He said as Walter pointed to a chair at the table. 

Alex sat down, his tousled hair flopping over his eyes, with the nearly shoulder length hair and sullen slouch, he resembled a teenager. 

"How did you sleep?" Fox asked, his hazel eyes glinting with pure mischief as he regarded the younger man with amusement. 

Alex looked up at him. Fox could see the dark shadows under those incredible green eyes. 

"Like crap, but gee thanks for asking." Ales replied his voice dripping with sarcasm. 

"Sorry to hear it Alex." Fox replied. He got up and carried his plate over to the sink, still keeping an eye on the little rat bastard at the table. After all, he did not trust Alex, not one whit. 

Walter quickly cooked up some eggs and ham and a couple of strips of bacon and set it in front of Alex who needed no second bidding. 

The young man quickly scooped the food into his mouth. Fox set a cup of fresh coffee down near his elbow. Without so much as a thank you. Alex drained the scalding liquid and then returned to demolishing the rest of the food on his plate. 

After he had finished, he pushed the plate away, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. 

"How long has it been since you've eaten?" Walter asked as he walked back over to the table. 

Alex shrugged. "I dunno." He mumbled. "A couple of days I guess." 

Walter frowned. "A couple of days, why so long?" 

"I've been busy." Alex snapped. "Not that it's any of your business old man." 

Fox glanced up at Walter with a look that had, 'I told you so' written all over it. 

"I see." Walter replied neutrally. 

"So now what?" Alex asked. "A game of indoor volleyball, or how about mahjong." 

"Or how about I tan your arse for insolence." Walter said pleasantly. Alex's head jerked up at that, then his eyes narrowed. 

"Listen to me you balding old pervert, you may want to play these cute little games with your resident toy boy here but..." The rest was lost in a sharp yelp. Alex suddenly found himself dragged out of the chair and dangling, his toes barely touching the floor. 

Walter's hand had closed around the back of Alex's neck and the unfortunate assassin soon found himself hauled roughly out of the kitchen, through the living room and back into the playroom once more. 

"I think that you can just stay here and cool your heels for awhile Alex." Walter said, giving him a hard shake. 

Alex fought and cursed, swinging his good arm out to try and land a punch on Walter's jaw, but the older man reflexes were still well honed from his boxing days. 

Walter ducked the blow and grabbing a furiously struggling Alex managed to manacle him back to the wall. 

The older man stepped back, wiping the sweat from from his glistening forehead, Christ but he was getting too old for this shit. 

"I have to get ready for work Alex." He informed the enraged young man. "You are going to stay here until I return. Then you and I are going to have a long talk." 

With that, he turned and left, locking the door after him. Alex's vitriolic curses still ringing in his ears. 

Fox was standing in the living room, a slight smile touching his lips. 

"So you think that's redeemable, good luck." 

Walter cocked an eyebrow at him. "I never said it was going to be easy." 

With that, he headed to the bedroom to get changed for work, he did not want to be late for the meeting with Kersh this morning. 

Fox watched him go, then shook his head at the sheer folly of what his beloved Walter was taking on here...then he followed him into the bedroom. Four  
The meeting with Kersh seemed to go on for ever, it seemed the Assistant Director wanted to go through everyone one of Fox's expenditures. 

As usual, Fox had managed to damage one of the Bureau's cars, tear the expensive Armani suit he was wearing and lose yet another cell phone. 

His explanation of chasing a suspected werewolf through a thickly wooded forest did not cut any ice with Kersh at all. 

As usual, Walter managed to smooth things over, after all, Fox Mulder was one of the best profilers the FBI had, and as Walter had been quick to point out, he had the highest rate of solved cases in the department. 

Finally Kersh agreed to sign off on Fox's case, but Walter could see that the man had not been mollified in the least, but at least he had accepted Fox's report. 

Walter was tired by the time he got home. He had his secretary cancel his afternoon appointments so he could leave early. He wanted to make a start with Alex straight away. 

Fox was out on assignment and would not be back until much later. That would give Walter plenty of time for him and Alex to have a good old fashioned heart to heart before Fox came home. 

He set his briefcase onto the desk and went straight to the playroom where he had left the Consortium assassin. 

Alex was lying stretched out on the parquet floor, eyes closed, his arm raised slightly, his wrist still encased in the manacle, his other arm, the prosthetic one was laying beside him, Walter could see the where the straps dug into his skin. He could see the faint red marks around them. 

What must it be like to lose an arm like that? Walter wondered suddenly. To just have it cut off while being held down, feeling the blade cutting through flesh, sinew and bone. 

Walter shuddered, it did not bear thinking about. He took a step into the darkened room, Alex instantly sat up. He stared at Walter for a minute, a look of pure fear on his face, then recognizing Walter, the old familiar sneer returned. 

"Oh, it's you." He laid back down again. 

"Hi Alex." Walter said, keeping his voice pleasant. "How are you doing?" 

"I need to use the john." Alex replied shortly. 

"Okay then." Walter switched the light on and walked over to where he lay. He undid the restraints and helped Alex to his feet. 

"No tricks Alex." Walter said firmly. Alex nodded, they headed towards the bathroom, Walter waiting outside while Alex relieved himself. 

After awhile Alex emerged from the bathroom running his hand through his tousled hair, Walter suddenly noticed how thin he was. 

His boxers clung to slender hips, his ribs stood out against his skin. 

Alex noticed Walter's scrutiny and scowled. 

"Hungry?" Walter asked. Alex nodded. 

"Okay, let's get you fed." 

Walter sat at the table, a bottle of beer in front of him, watching while Alex gnawed his way through nearly a whole cold roast chicken. 

Alex ate voraciously, totally unaware of anything else around him, it was if only the food mattered. 

After awhile, Alex pushed the plate of mostly chicken bones away from him, and burped. Walter smiled. 

"Compliments to the chef." He remarked. 

Alex glanced up at him, his face unreadable. "Why are you keeping me here Skinner?" He asked suddenly. 

"Why do you think I'm keeping you here Alex?" Walter replied. 

Alex thought for a moment then he said quietly. "For revenge." 

"Then you are wrong." 

Alex's lips quirked up in a humourless smile. "What other reason could there be?" 

Instead of answering that question, Walter parried with another one. "Alex, how did you end up working for the Consortium in the first place?" 

Alex shrugged. "It was good money, and the work was okay, you know, set your own hours, that kind of stuff." 

"That's not what I asked." Walter replied, he waited patiently for a moment, then slowly Alex replied. 

"I was in an orphanage in Russia...Moscow actually, then a man came to the orphanage one day, he said that he was looking to adopt a bright young boy and take him to America, give him a good education and a good life. He adopted me, I was twelve at the time, and he took me to America with him. He saw to it that I was educated and that I was trained to work for the Syndicate...and the Consortium, I have worked for him ever since." 

"Who was it that adopted you Alex?" Walter asked, although he suspected he already knew the answer. 

"Spender." Alex replied. Walter nodded. "I thought as much." He replied. 

"So that brings us right back here." Alex said. "Why are you keeping me here, if it's not for revenge.." 

"How about redemption." Walter replied. 

"What?" Alex looked as though he had misheard. Walter smiled at the younger man sitting across from him still in his boxers and nothing else. 

"Redemption Alex, as in the act of redeeming, of being redeemed. Of changing your life around." 

Alex stared at Walter for a moment, then burst into incredulous laughter, shaking his head from side to side. 

"You...you want to redeem me...oh that's rich. This is just too fucking much." He marveled. 

"You want to change the way I live...the way I am...what I am. Oh Walter, what do you do in your spare time, hand out food in soup kitchens, collect for the red fucking cross?" 

Walter sat back allowing Alex to have his laugh, very soon he would realize how deadly serious the older man was. 

Alex lifted his hand to wipe the tears of mirth that had sprung up in his eyes. 

"This is just too fucking much man." 

"I did the same for Fox." Walter told him steadily. Alex looked up at him. "What?" 

"I said, I did the same for Fox." Walter repeated patiently. "He was on a collision course with disaster as well. He was putting himself and his partner at risk more and more, he was acting recklessly and in the end half the Bureau was convinced that he had a deathwish, which in one way he did have." Walter explained. Alex watched him, all trace of his earlier laughter had fled now. 

"I was worried about Fox." Walter continued quietly, almost speaking to himself. "He had ended up in hospital more times then I could count, the amount of damage he was doing to government property was only second to the amount of damage he was doing to himself. Then when Dana Scully announced that John Doggett was moving in with her and baby William..." 

Walter stopped, then glanced at Alex. "He tried to commit suicide. Oh he said it had been an accident, but there was nothing accidental about it. He ran his car into a tree, thank god he escaped with only minor injuries but it could have been so much worse." 

Alex said nothing, he had known about the accident that had happened six months earlier, but he and everyone else in the Consortium had just assumed it had been a freak accident... but suicide... 

"That was when I stepped in." Walter continued softly. "I knew I had too, if I hadn't, we would have lost him for sure...and I figured that a world without Fox William Mulder was not a world that I cared to live in. So I went to him one night. I went to that dingy little flat that he lived in, and I told him that things were going to change." 

"How did he take that?" Alex asked, fascinated now despite himself. 

"He was skittish at first." Walter replied. "But he was not the first beautiful, brilliant and dammed difficult young man that I had pulled back from the precipice and..." He looked over at Alex meaningfully. "He won't be my last." 

Alex felt his face flush under the older man's scrutiny. He quickly looked away. 

"Don't count on it." He mumbled. 

"There's something there inside you Alex." Walter told him, his voice gently. "I can see it, oh I know that you have kept it well hidden under that tough son of a bitch persona that you so very carefully cultivate. But I know it's there underneath. I can sense it..and I think you can too." 

Alex looked over at the older man once more. His face was expressionless now. 

"You are wrong old man." He replied coldly. "You are so fucking wrong...in fact, you are so wrong that it's scary. You think that you can change me overnight? Ha I would like to see you try." 

"I never said it would be overnight." Walter replied mildly. "These things can never be achieved overnight, Fox still has a long way to go, although I must admit he has made a great deal of progress now that he knows that he is loved." 

"You love him." Alex replied flatly. 

"Yes." 

"Lucky him." Alex said, his face suddenly twisted and he turned away. He was aware of the other man watching him. Then Walter asked softly. 

"Has anyone ever loved you Alex?" 

Unable to answer, the younger man shook his head. 

"I thought as much." Walter replied. "But that can change you know." 

"That's bullshit." Alex replied hoarsely. "Nothing ever changes...not for me anyway." 

"That's not true and you know it." 

"You can't keep me here Skinner." Alex replied, but all the strength had drained out of his voice. 

"As a matter of fact I can." Walter replied, he sat back, watching the younger man's reaction. 

"What will it take?" Alex asked suddenly, his eyes dark with desperation now. "Skinner just tell me...what will it take. Money, I have some money, not much, but I can get more." 

Walter shook his head. "Keep your money Alex, I don't want it, I have more than enough thank you very much." 

"Then what?" Alex's voice rose. "What will it take for you to let me go?" 

"There's nothing you can do, nothing you can offer me." Walter told him. Alex stared at the older man, he could see that it was not good. Walter was implacable. 

"Great, here I am...stuck here, a prisoner and I have not even been given a fair trial." Alex muttered. 

Walter looked at him for a moment, his eyes taking in the resentful young man before him. 

"Is that what you want Alex, a trial?" He asked with a chuckle. Alex glared at him. 

"What's so funny about that?" He snapped. "After all isn't everyone innocent until proven guilty? I thought that's what made this country so great, the fact that everyone got their day in court, everyone except for me so it seems." 

Walter looked at him thoughtfully, then he nodded. "You know something Alex, you're right, We have condemned you without a fair trial. I'll make a deal with you. If you can plead your case to us and convince us of your innocence, then we will allow to to leave here. But, if you cannot convince us that you deserve your freedom, then you agree to stay." 

Alex's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "For how long?" 

"For however long we decide your sentence should be." Walter told him. 

Alex's face flushed bright red. "And what you decide to make it twenty years or something?" He burst out. 

"Then that's the risk that you take." Walter replied with a shrug. "After all, Alex, that's the way it works in the justice system. You go to trial and if you are found guilty, then you pay the penalty. The judge hands down your sentence, that's the way it works." 

"Can't we do a deal?" Alex was sweating now. Walter shook his head. "No deals Alex. You stand trial, and you plead your case, that's it." 

"Ha, this is crazy." Alex said miserably. "If I don't agree to this trial, you'll keep me locked up in here anyway, and if I do, you'll find me guilty and keep me locked up in here, either way I lose." 

"Not necessarily, you might be found innocent." Walter replied. 

"What, with you and Mulder as judge, jury and executioner, yeah right." 

"Then will bring in a neutral third party as the judge." Walter said. "That's fair." 

Alex frowned and looked down, his good hand cradling the prosthetic arm, the very picture of misery and defeat. 

"I guess I have no choice then." He whispered. Walter smiled, but secretly his heart went out to this obviously unhappy, hurting young man. "You always had choices Alex." Walter told him, his voice gentle. "It's just that I don't think you ever made the right ones, but you have your chance now." 

Alex sighed and glanced at the older man, his hair nearly obscuring his green eyes. 

"A fair trial?" 

"Yes, everyone deserves a fair trial Alex, and that is what you shall have." Five  
"Attention everyone...may I have your attention please. This court is now in session." Ringo Langly announced, his voice carrying over the murmurs of everyone gathered in the living room. 

"Will the bailiff please bring in the accused." 

"I'm right here you moron." Alex snapped, he was sitting on the couch watching sullenly as all the 'witnesses' had arrived. 

It had taken Walter a few day to organize everything. First of all he had told Fox the agreement that he and Alex had come to. Fox had been incredulous. 

"He actually agreed to stand trial?" 

"Yes, and I think it's only fair that he should have one." Walter had told his young lover and beautiful sub firmly. Fox had thought about it for a few minutes, then finally agreed. 

"But who's going to be the judge, and we need a jury..." Fox frowned, his mind already turning over the various possibilities. 

"We don't need a jury Fox, and as for the judge, well I already have an idea." Walter had told him, a mischievous twinkle in his brown eyes. 

He had then spent the new few days gathering the 'witnesses'. Namely Dana Scully and The Lone Gunmen. Then he had asked John Doggett if he would agree to be the judge. 

John had thought it was a fine idea and agreed without hesitation. 

"It has to be a fair trial though John, not some sort of lynching party, is that understood?" Walter had stressed, knowing that there was no love lost between the FBI agent and the Consortium operative. 

"Don't worry Walter." John had replied with a grin. "I'll make sure that it's fair." 

"Because if it's not, I will stop the trial and let him go. I am absolutely serious about this." Walter had told him. John had seen straight away that the AD was serious. He nodded. 

"Don't worry Walt, I will be fair...I give you my word, okay?" 

Walter nodded. He liked and respected John, and trusted him, that was why he had approached him with the offer of presiding over Alex's trial. 

That and the fact that everyone else hated the assassin too much for them to be able to be impartial. 

Now everyone was gathered to participate in the what Dana had dubbed the 'trial of the century'. 

"All rise for the Honorable Judge John Doggett." 

"Isn't he taking this thing just a little too far?" Dana asked drily as she watched her soon to be husband emerge from the study complete with black robes and a gavel in his hand. 

John seated himself at the desk that Walter had cleared off and arranged so that it sat in the middle of the living room. 

He rapped the gavel down smartly onto the table. Dana rolled her eyes, she privately thought that the whole trial idea was a silly one, but she agreed to appear as a witness simply to see that little rat bastard squirm. Her only wish was that this was a real court of law and that Alex Krycek was looking at getting the death penalty. 

"This court is now in session." John announced. "Will the attorneys please make their opening statements." 

Walter rose to his feet. "We have gathered here your honour to try one Alexi Nickolai Krycek on the charges of murder, espionage, treason and extortion. And after hearing all the evidence here today, you shall find that he is guilty, that he did commit these crimes and that he should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. Thank you your honour." With that, Walter resumed his seat. 

John nodded his head towards Alex, who had opted to act in his own defense. 

The younger man, dressed in one of Fox's dark suits got to his feet. "Your honour." He addressed John. "I intend to prove to you and this court that I am an innocent man and that all these charges against me are totally and completely untrue. Thank you your honour." He sat back down, glaring at Walter. Alex was determined to win this trial no matter what. 

"Mr Skinner, would you please call your first witness." John said in his best judicial voice, he would never admit it, but he was thoroughly enjoying this. 

"I would like to call John Byers to the stand." 

John Byers looked nervous as he took the stand, in actual fact, it was a kitchen chair that Walter had sat near the desk that was serving as the judges bench. 

"Please state your full name for the court please." John told him. Byers stared at him for a second, confused. 

"B...but you all know my name." He replied. 

John drew a deep breath. "Please just state your name." 

"Uh, John Byers." 

"Mr Byers." Walter stood up. John Byers looked distinctly nervous, but then he always looked nervous around the Assistant Director if the FBI. 

"Do you know the defendant, Alex Krycek?" 

"You know I do." Byers replied. "Um, I mean, yes...yes I do." 

"And how exactly did you come to know him Sir?" 

"Well it was when he was Mulder's partner...at the FBI. He was assigned to the X Files, I don't think Mulder liked him very much." 

"Objection." Alex got to his feet. "Mulder liking me or not is irrelevant to this case your honour." 

"Sustained." John agreed. "Mr Byers, please keep your evidence to what you actually know and not hearsay." 

"Uh sorry." Byers replied meekly. He looked over at Walter again. 

"And exactly how many times did you and the defendant have any contact with each other?" 

"Not many...only a couple of times, when Mulder brought him over to our place. Usually when they were working on a case... or something." He trailed off, biting his lips nervously. 

"I see." Walter paused for a moment. "Did you and the defendant, Mr Krycek ever speak to each other at all?" 

"Um, not really, he seemed pretty quiet you know, he didn't really have much to say to any of us." 

And why did you think that was?" Walter asked. Byers thought for a moment before he replied. 

"I think it was because he was a sneaky triple agent who was planning on betraying Mulder... and the X Files." 

Alex was on his feet once more. "Objection your honour, that's hearsay again, he didn't know what I was thinking, let alone planning." 

"Objection sustained, the witness will keep to the facts and only the facts." 

"You had suspicions about Mr Krycek I take it?" Walter asked. Byers nodded. "Yes, well not at first but later one yes, we started to think that something was amiss, you know." 

"And can you tell us Mr Byers, in your own words, what was it that made you realize that something was amiss?" 

"When Mul...Agent Mulder told us that he had found cigarette butts in Alex, I mean the defendant's car ashtray, and Agent Mulder knew that the defendant did not smoke. 

"I see." Walter replied. "And did Agent Mulder confide with you who he thought the cigarette butts may have belonged to?" 

"Yes, he did, he said that he thought they had been left there by the Smoking Man." 

"I see, and do you know who this 'Smoking Man' is?" 

"Yes." Byers replied almost eagerly. "He's the one that's been behind all these conspiracies and everything. Mulder told me that Kry...the defendant worked for the Smoking Man." 

"Thank you." Walter said solemnly. He turned to John. "I have no further questions for this witness your honour." 

He then turned to Alex. "Your witness." 

Taking his time, Alex got to his feet. Byers watched him, looking frightened now. 

"So, you have told this court that you had suspicions about me, is that correct?" 

"That's right, yes." 

"And that Agent Mulder told you that he found cigarette butts in the ashtray of my car, and yet I don't smoke...is that correct?" 

"Yes." 

"And the brand of these cigarette butts?" 

Byers thought for a moment. "Um, Morleys, I think. I'm not sure." 

"You're not sure?" Alex replied, feigning surprise. "And yet you seem so sure of everything else." 

Byers stared at him for a moment. "It was Morleys." He clarified. 

"Thank you Mr Byers." Alex replied, sarcasm in his voice. "You stated that Agent Mulder told you that he believed that the cigarette butts belonged to the Smoking Man, but did he ever show you any proof that his assumption was correct?" 

"Well...uh, no, but he said..." 

"So in other words, all you have are some vague suspicions and the word of a man that has admitted on several occasions to a severe dislike of me. No concrete evidence, no hard proof. Just suspicions and hearsay." 

Byers opened his mouth, then closed it again, nonplused. 

"I have no more questions for this witness." 

John turned to Byers who was still looking as though he had been hit in the face by a wet fish. 

"Thank you, the witness may step down." 

"Please state your name for the court." 

"Richard Langly." Langly said, a smirk on his face. 

"Thank you." Walter said. "Now Mr Langly, you have an acquaintance with the defendant, one Alex Krycek?" 

"Yeah, as a matter of fact I do." Langly replied. He glared across at Alex, who returned it in spades. 

"And will you please tell the court in your own words how you came to know Mr Krycek please?" 

"Sure." Langly leaned back against the chair insolently. "Mulder brought him to our pad a few time, I never liked the little creep myself..." 

Alex was on his feet instantly. "Objection your honour, the witness is being insulting." 

"Sustained, the witness will keep his disparaging remarks to himself." John fixed Langly with a stern glare. 

Langly rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever." 

"Or he will find himself in contempt of court." John warned him. 

"You say that Agent Mulder brought him over to your pad, which I take to be your place of residence." Walter continued. "And in your opinion, did you find the defendant to be a trustworthy person?" 

"Rat boy, ha not likely." 

Alex leapt to his feet again, outraged. 

"Yes, yes, I know." John said wearily. "Mr Langly, I will not warn you again." 

"Oh okay, I'm sorry Sheesh." Langly slouched back in the chair. 

"And what gave rise to these suspicions?" Walter asked, trying hard not to laugh. 

"When Mulder told us that he had discovered that R...the defendant was working for the Cancer Man." 

"And how did Agent Mulder come by this information?" 

"By the ciggy butts in the car ashtray, and by other means." Langly replied firmly. 

"Thank you." Walter turned to Alex. "Your witness." 

Alex looked at the blonde bespectacled man in front of him and smiled. Langly smiled back. 

"You have told the court that Agent Mulder informed you that I was working for the Smoking Man, is that correct?" 

"Yeah, it sure is." The smirk was back on Langly's face. 

"And once again he told you that he had discovered Morley cigarette butts in the ashtray of my car." Alex continued. "Is that correct?" 

"Yes." Langly was leaning forward now, clearly wondering where all this was going. 

"How many people in this state alone do you think would smoke Morleys Mr Langly?" Alex asked. 

"Huh, what has that got to do with...I don't know." Langly replied. 

Alex nodded. "Considering that Morleys are such a popular brand of cigarette, wouldn't you say that perhaps several thousand people would smoke that brand, and that's just in this state alone, across the nation it would be a lot more. In other words Mr Langly, anyone could have left those butts in my ashtray, don't you think?" 

"No way dude." Langly snapped. "It was the Cancer Man, everyone knows that you work for him..." 

"No more questions for this witness." Alex strode back to his chair. 

The still spluttering Langly was excused. 

Frohike was called next and he did not do much better than either Byers and Langly. The small man sat perched on the kitchen chair looking distinctly uncomfortable. 

"Mr Frohike, you stated for this court that you felt suspicious of the defendant from the very beginning, is that correct?" Walter asked. Melvin Frohike nodded. 

"Yes." 

"Could you please explain to us why?" 

"Well, it was nothing I could put my finger on at first, but there was something about him that well, we didn't like, you know me and the other guys." He waved his hand towards where both Byers and Langly were sitting together on the couch. 

"Did you ever mention these suspicions to Agent Mulder?" Walter asked. 

"No, not at first, but I decided to run some background checks on him on our computer." Frohike replied. 

"And did you find anything?" Walter asked. Frohike shook his head. "Apart from his FBI file, Nope, nothing, no credit checks no nothing, that's when I got suspicious." 

"I see." Walter replied. "And then did you voice your suspicions to Agent Mulder?" 

"No, well I was going to but then Mulder told us about the butts in the ashtray, then I told him about the checks I ran." 

Alex faced the small man, fixing him with a cool look. Frohike lifted his head slightly, he was determined not to let the assassin intimidate him. 

"Are you aware that hacking into FBI computer files is an offense punishable by law?" He asked. 

Frohike shrugged. "Yeah, but what are you going to do huh?" 

"You say that you found no records on me at all." Alex said slowly. Frohike nodded. 

"Nothing to indicate that I had any kind of background at all, is that right?" 

That's right." 

"And yet you did not inform Agent Mulder of this." Alex said. 

"I was going to, it's just that other stuff got in the way." Frohike protested. 

"Other stuff?" Alex looked at him, curious. "What other stuff could have been more important than informing and agent of the FBI and a man that you consider a friend that you thought there might have been a spy working with him on the X Files?" 

Frohike's face went red. "Ummm, Ah?" 

"Please answer the question Mr Frohike." Alex urged him. 

Frohike drew a deep breath, then blurted out. "There was a Star trek convention on and we decided to go." 

When the small man saw that everyone was staring at him he replied defensively. "Well it had Gates Mcfaddon, Patrick Stewart and Michael Dorn, not to mention the hotty that plays Counselor Troi." 

"I don't know about you but I think that's a pretty good reason." Fox said. "Especially if it had the guy that plays Data." 

"I kinda like the guy that plays Riker myself." Dana replied. 

"Order in the court." John snapped. He banged his gavel on the desk top, making everyone jump. 

"Do you have any more witnesses to call Mr Skinner?" 

"Yes, I wish to call Dana Scully." 

Dana settled herself down onto the chair, smoothing her skirt underneath her. 

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?" John asked her 

"I do." Dana replied. 

"Now." Walter began. "In your own words, can you tell the court what you know about Alex Krycek." 

"Yes, as a matter of fact I can." Dana said grimly. "Alex Krycek was assigned to the X Files to be Fox Mulder's partner, once installed, he then proceeded to spy and to deliberately sabotage Agent Mulder's work. After Agent Mulder discovered the truth behind Krycek's deception, Krycek disappeared, only to reappear in order to commit treason and murder on more occasions then I care to remember." 

"And exactly how did you discover the defendant's activities Agent Scully?" Walter asked her. 

"Through thorough investigation." Dana replied. "Through discovering what Krycek was up to, by catching him time and time again committing murder and treason and god knows what else. We have proof that Krycek was blackmailing our boss." She nodded her head towards Walter. 

"By using experimental technology, he also committed murder, he killed Mulder's father, both Mulder and I saw him fleeing the scene of the crime, he also helped kill my sister, and Kritchgow. He also tried to betray Mulder when they had both traveled to Russia together to discover the truth about the black cancer." 

Walter nodded. "Thank you Agent Scully, you have been of great help." 

Alex took a deep breath. Then he turned to the red haired agent, his face set in grim lines, out of everyone in this 'court' he knew that she could do him the most damage. 

"You say that I killed Mulder's father." He began. "But did you actually see me commit the crime?" 

"No, but you did it Krycek and then you tried to set Mulder up to take the fall." She told him coldly. 

"But you were not actually there when the shooting took place, so you can't be sure whether it was me or not." Alex said. 

"I was there when you shot the driver of that truck Krycek." Dana replied. "That you can't worm your way out of. And I there when you tried to betray Mulder several times." 

Alex looked at her for a moment, his face thoughtful. "But again, what proof can you offer us?" 

"Proof Krycek, we don't need to show you proof, you tried to kill my baby, you tried to kill Walter Skinner and you were there when Cardinale shot my sister you son of a bitch." Dana regarded the younger man with open loathing. 

"You know the only reason that Walter is even giving you this trial is because he is a fair and decent man, you don't deserve a trial, you don't even deserve to live, you are utter and total scum Krycek, you always have been and you always will be." 

Alex stared at her, his eyes dark and unfathomable "I have no further questions for this witness." He said flatly. 

Fox was the next to take the stand. He sat, hands laced loosely between his knees. 

"Alex has tried to betray not only me, but this whole country several times." He told Walter. He went on to describe what happened in Hong Kong and Siberia. 

He spoke, his voice low and expressionless as he described all the times when Alex had betrayed him in some way. 

Finally he finished his face had settled into grim lines, the memories had been painful, particularly when he had to describe the terrible experiments that had been done to him in that dreadful gulag in Siberia. 

Alex got to his feet slowly. "I have no questions for this witness." He said quietly. 

John looked at him surprised. "And do you have any witnesses you wish to call Mr Krycek?" He asked. Alex shook his head. "No I don't your honour." He said the last mockingly. 

"And you Mr Skinner." John turned to the older man. "Have you any more witnesses you wish to call?" 

"I wish to call myself." Walter replied. "And because I cannot cross examine myself I wish to make a statement to the court instead, if the court will allow." 

"Does the defendant have any objection?" John asked. 

"No." Alex replied, he was growing weary of the whole thing now, he knew that he was going to be condemned anyway so what was the point, he had no one here to speak for him and he was surrounded by people that hated and distrusted him. 

"Very well then." John said. "Please continue then Mr Skinner." 

Walter nodded, then cleared his throat. 

"If anyone has the most reason to want to see Alex Krycek behind bars it would have to be me." He began, he did not speak loudly, but his voice carried across the quiet room. He was aware of everyone's eyes on him as as he addressed the room. 

"After all, he did kill me. He deliberately and knowingly had me infected with these dammed nanocytes and he used them to blackmail me." 

Walter stopped and looked over to where Alex was sitting, head down, his eyes shadowed. 

"He has also plotted against one of my finest agents, a man that you all know I have come to grow very fond of." He smiled across at Fox, who returned it fondly. 

"He has also committed crime after crime, Alex Krycek has threatened and assaulted me all on the orders of the men that he works for. His guilt your honour is clear. Thank you for your time." With that Walter sat down. 

John looked over at Alex who had not moved. 

"Do you have any questions for this witness." 

"No." Alex replied, his voice quiet, he seemed to have suddenly run out of steam. 

"Very well then, all the witnesses have been called, now each of you may make your summary."  
John settled back, hands crossed neatly on the desk, waiting, feeling every inch of a judge, even though he had rented the robes from a costume shop and had picked up the gavel from an old junk store downtown for a couple of dollars. 

Alex stood up, he turned to face everyone in the room, his head high, damn it, if they were going to hang him, at least he would go out with some dignity. 

"You have all heard the evidence." He began. "You have heard about humors and suspicions, nothing real, nothing concrete. Cigarette butts that could have come from anyone. Files that could not be found but none of this is proof." 

"You have also heard that I killed Mulder's father, yet no one saw me do it, as for what happened in Russia." He stopped, then he pointed to his prosthetic arm. 

"I was the one that lost a limb, not Mulder. I was the one that suffered, not him." 

"As for the man in the truck, yes I shot him, but I did it in order to save innocent lives, I did it in order to help people, to save them from the insanity of half assed revolutionaries that wanted to plant bombs and destroy lives all for some pathetic cause. And how do I get thanked, by being dragged over to Skinner's apartment and punched in the gut, then handcuffed to a balcony in the middle of winter. That's how I get thanked." Alex could no longer keep the bitterness out of his voice. 

"I know that I have done a lot of things that I am not proud if, but I don't think that any of you here today have the right to sit in judgment of me...why don't you all take a good long look at the things that you have done in your lives first, then I think that you'll find that none of you are fit enough to judge me." With that, he sat down once more. 

"You are probably asking yourselves why I have even bothered gathering you all here for this trial." Walter said as he got to his feet. 

"Why even bother, he's guilty, everyone here knows that, but I do believe in the justice system, even if it is one that we have had to create for ourselves today. Alex wanted a fair trial and I do believe he has been given one." 

Walter fixed each person in the room with his sternest glare. 

"And most of you probably think that I am a fool for even bothering to do this, why not just put a bullet in his head and dump the body somewhere, it would be far easier to do it that way then to go to all this trouble." 

"But that is not the way that I do thinks, I am not a cold blooded killer and none of you here are today, and yes that includes Alex, oh he has killed, no matter how he tries to weasel out of it. The fact remains that he has killed, tortured, blackmailed and turned traitor, and he has done that to the people sitting in this very room." 

"But nonetheless I do believe that there is something else there other than a cold blooded killer, I do believe that under all this, there is a human being and I want to have the chance to be able to draw him out. It will take time, I know that." Walter said, his voice rising passionately now. 

"But I do believe that he is worth the effort, if he is found guilty, then he will remain here and I will take full responsibility for him, and for his rehabilitation. Thank you." 

The room was silent for a moment, everyone's eyes fixed on the extraordinary man that had just made such an impassioned and eloquent speech, even Alex was amazed. 

John nodded, his face thoughtful as he spoke. 

"Thank you, I will retire to my chambers and I shall decide upon my verdict." With that, he stood and walked into Walter's study, the robes sweeping regally on the floor behind him. 

Dana sighed. "I still think that he is taking this way to seriously." 

Fox grinned at her. "Where's William today?" He asked. Dana smiled. "At my mother's." 

Soon both of them were deep in conversation, talking about the baby and where Dana was going to move now that she was teaching at Quantico. 

Walter went over to where Alex was still seated. 

"Nervous?" He asked. Alex looked up at him, then shrugged. 

"I know that he's going to find me guilty." He replied. "After all, he hates me...you all do." 

"I don't hate you Alex, and I don't think that Fox does either, oh he's bitter, after all you did kill his father, but I think with time, he might be able to forgive you, but you have to earn that forgiveness." 

"Scully hates me." Alex said, his voice sullen. 

"And if she does, maybe she has good reason." Walter replied, his voice even. "You tried to kill her child Alex and that in itself is unforgivable." 

"I was told the kid was an alien human hybrid." Alex replied defensively. "I was just trying to save the world from the aliens." He was starting to sound like a sulky three year old now. 

"Well you were wrong." Walter replied. "William is a lovely child, and completely normal in every way." 

Alex shrugged, a gesture that Walter was beginning to recognize as Alex's answer to things that he really had no answer for. 

He was trying to maintain a devil may care attitude, but it was slipping now and Walter could see the frightened young man underneath. 

"Alex, can I ask you something?" Walter said suddenly. Alex nodded. 

"Why didn't you cross examine Fox or I?" 

"Because you two really have the goods on me, that's why." Alex replied with a grin. Walter chuckled and shook his head, why did that seem like such an Alex thing to say? 

"I know I'm guilty Walter." Alex said suddenly. "I know I have done all those things, but I didn't want to. Oh you said that I had choices, but I made bad ones, that's not true. I never had any say in my life, not after Spender got his hooks into me." Alex's face had settled into sad lines. 

"I wish it could have been different, but it wasn't, I hated doing the things that I did, but I had no other choice Walter, even when I wanted out...I could not escape." 

He chuckled but there was absolutely no humour in the sound. 

"After all, where could I run, where could I hide, I was sick of living down with the rats, I'm tired of it all, want to know what it's like to feel the sun on my face instead of hiding in the shadows. I guess what I'm saying is I want my life back." 

He felt Walter's hand rest on his shoulder. "Then if you are found guilty, you will agree to stay?" 

"Yes, but if by some miracle Doggett finds me innocent, then I do leave, that was the deal." 

Walter nodded. "That was the deal." 

The door to the study opened and the Right Honorable Judge Doggett emerged walking gravely to his 'bench'. Everyone watched as he resumed his seat at the desk and picked up the gavel. 

"After careful deliberation, "I have I find the defendant Alexi Nickolai Krycek to be guilty on all counts." 

"Surprise, surprise." Alex muttered under his breath. 

"The defendant will rise and face the bench in order to be sentenced." 

"Oh for..." The rest was lost as Alex's chair scraped back as he stood. 

"The court hereby orders you to remain in the custody and control of one Walter Sergi Skinner and one Fox William Mulder for no less then two years and within that time he will undergo whatever treatments that either of them wish to administer in the hopes that one day Alex Krycek will be rehabilitated. Thank you, this court is adjourned." 

The gavel came down with a crash that made Walter wince and wonder how bad the damage was to his precious walnut desk. 

Everyone all began to talk at once. John yelled for order and was promptly ignored. 

Finally he placed his fingers in his mouth and let loose a shrill whistle that was guaranteed to clear the sinuses of everyone in the room. 

"Settle down or I will have you all for contempt." He informed them with a grin. 

"Ha ha, very funny." Langly replied. "Oh hey by the way, cool job dude, you were like a real beak up there. Oh love the robes, where did you get them from, mug a little old judge for them?" 

"Great hair Ringo." John replied drily. Langly scowled at him. 

Both Walter and Fox served sandwiches and snacks as everyone sat around and discussed the trial. 

"Well I still think you should have asked me to be the judge." Frohike was saying as he took a mouthful of bread and washed it down with a glass of Pepsi. 

"Why, didn't you like the way I handled things?" John asked with a smile. He and Dana were sitting next to each other, Walter noticed that they were holding hands. 

He smiled at them both pleased that Dana had finally met someone that was worthy of her. 

He had at one time thought it might have been Fox, but they had both realized that Dana needed someone that was more emotionally stable, especially now with William in tow. 

Walter looked around the room, everyone was talking, their laughter floating around the room. Everyone that was except for Alex. 

The now ex Consortium operative sat by himself, away from everyone, neither eating or drinking, he was looking decidedly unhappy. 

Walter wandered over to where he was sitting wrapped in his own little cloud of gloom. 

"Would you like something to eat?" He asked. 

Alex shook his head, his eyes seemed distant, as though he were far away, lost in thought. 

"A penny for them." 

"Huh?" Alex looked up at the older man, confused. 

"Your thoughts." Walter replied. Alex shook his head. "They aren't worth that much." He replied. 

Walter chuckled. "Oh I think you're wrong there." 

"The trial, it was fair you know." Alex said abruptly. Walter regarded the younger man for a moment, then nodded. 

"I made sure it was Alex, this was a fair trial, not some sort of kangaroo court, I would not have tolerated that, not for a minute." 

"Then I guess I should thank you." Alex replied, his voice steady as he spoke. 

"You have nothing to thank me for." Walter replied. "Everyone is entitled to a fair trial, you got your and now you have to serve your time out." 

"Do the crime, do the time." Alex replied thoughtfully. "I guess that I can do that here, after all, it beats a Tunisian prison doesn't it." 

"You aren't going to have an easy time of it Alex." Walter said, his face utterly serious now. 

"With Fox's help, I will help you out of the shadows, but it's going to take a lot of hard work on your part as well as ours, and don't think you can get fed up and walk out anytime you feel like it. You don't have that option." 

"I know." Alex replied. Then he smiled. "And Spender, he stills wants his disc back." 

"I'll deal that that bastard myself." Walter replied grimly. Alex looked up at him, genuine surprise on his face. 

And to think he had taken Walter Skinner for just another paper pusher, Alex was starting to see a whole new side of the AD, a side he never suspected was there before. But then he had never considered Walter to be a part of the S and M crowd either, or that Fox would willingly submit to it. 

Yes, Alex thought to himself. Life here could prove quite interesting, and as for the deal that he had made with Walter, well, deals could always be changed, couldn't they. 

Walter watched as Alex mulled these thoughts over in his head, the older man shrewdly guessing what they were. 

If Alex Krycek thought that he could escape his sentence, then the young man was in for one hell of a surprise. 

After giving Alex a friendly pat on the shoulder, Walter left him to go and attend to his guests. 

Dana and John were getting ready to leave, they had to go and pick up baby William. 

Walter thanked them both warmly and saw them to the door. 

Fox and the Three Stooges, as Walter had fondly dubbed the Lone Gunmen, were all deep in conversation about which was the better gaming console, the Xbox or the Play Station II. 

Walter smiled and let them talk, it was good to see Fox finally mixing with people, and taking an interest in something outside of the X Files. 

Well the trial had been a success, Walter was pleased about that, but now the real work would begin, namely teaching a certain young rat how to be human again. 

End 

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